“You are an Ironman.” Those are the words participants will hear when crossing the finish line of one of the most challenging sporting events in the world. On Aug. 3, thousands of athletes will be swimming, biking and running in the first full-distance Ironman hosted in the nation’s capital. The triathlon begins with a 3.8-kilometre two-loop swim in the Ottawa River before athletes embark on a 180-kilometre bike ride along National Capital Commission (NCC) and city roads. Finally, a marathon run will start and finish at Parliament Hill. A group of childhood best friends from Ottawa decided to take on the challenge, with a mission to raise money for cancer research. “We all grew up together paddling at the Rideau Canoe Club, just down near Hog’s Back. As we got older, we switched to more recreational activities,” Olan Bradford told CTV Morning Live on Tuesday. Tyler Booth’s mom Carole Rocheleau died of lung and liver cancer earlier this year. He and his friends are now raising money for the Canadian Cancer Society in her honour. Booth says the group has rallied around him and challenged him during his training while he grieved his mother’s death. “These guys were here with me the entire time,” Booth said. “I just feel blessed just to know so many incredible people to help me through all these obstacles and push me to challenge myself even further with the Ironman.” The group decided to work together to complete the triathlon, even creating an Instagram page to document their journey. “We had the idea to work on a charity event at some point and it kind of just came together as a natural idea for cancer research. It’s great to come together as a friend group and do it together,” said Kieran Graham. The training isn’t without its difficulties – leading to early mornings six to seven days a week while balancing full-time jobs. “It’s been great to just have the weekends training together. Everyone’s been waking up really early for it,” said Matt O’Neil. Sam Smith says the group is now in a taper, winding down their training to recover in time for the race. “I was looking at it earlier and I’m personally at about 4,500 kilometres just this calendar year,” Smith said. “Hopefully by race day, we’ll be feeling better but right now, we’re definitely pretty tired.” Booth says the support around their cause has been nothing short of “incredible.” “I could not be at this point without everyone here,” Booth said. “I’m really excited and feel really blessed to know all these incredible people. This is just the beginning.” Donations can be made here and you can follow their journey on Instagram @thehybrid_hobbyist.
